Let Me Go
by lexib502
Summary: This story starts where 6x06 left off. Aria is left heartbroken and she has to decide whether her selfish desires are worth holding Ezra back from what she thinks will make him happy. Ezria based, but all characters included.
1. Chapter 1

Maybe Spencer was right. Stringing Ezra along wasn't fair to him at all. He was there for her through the worst of times and the best of times. He was the one that saved her from the dollhouse. He was always rescuing her even when they weren't together. Even when she was being a complete bitch to him, he still stayed and did all he could for her and the girls.

She broke up with him and told him that she wanted to be single when she went off to college, but now, she just wanted him. She didn't want to be with any other guy. She wasn't sure how they were going to manage, but they were Ezra and Aria. They had survived a lot worse than college. He was her everything. Her safe haven. The one person that knew her better than anyone else in the world. He was really the only person she could really count on.

That's why she was at The Brew. She wanted to tell him how she felt and make sure he knew that she loved him and she appreciated all of the times he had been there for her when she had been less of a friend to him. She wanted to apologize for putting him on the back burner while she was always his focus. She just needed Ezra to know that he was the one. The only one. He always had been and always would be.

But she couldn't tell him any of that. When she got there, he was laughing with Nicole. They looked like a real couple. Something she and Ezra had never been able to be. They had never been able to sit on a couch in a café in Rosewood and laugh and read a book together without getting dirty looks from the residents that knew their story.

She just looked at the two of them, her eyes filling with tears. They were the only two in the closed café. Ezra looked so carefree and happy. She hadn't seen that look in what seemed like forever. At least… not with her. He had that look with everyone but her. She just had to accept that she would never be the cause of that look any longer. All she caused was drama.

That was when the tears spilled over. She slid down against the brick wall on the other side of the door and just cried. She didn't care that she was in public. She just cried. Maybe if she hadn't been so focused on not going to college with her high school English teacher at her side, she wouldn't be feeling this pain. It was worse than saying goodbye to him. This was confirmation that he was going to move on and she had to be okay with that. He couldn't be her knight in shining armor forever.

"Aria?" she looked up with hopeful eyes. She thought maybe it was him. He always ran after her before. If it had been Ezra, she would've known that they might've had a fighting chance. But it wasn't him. It was Spencer, the other part of team Sparia. Her second best friend. Probably the only one she had left. "Aria, what happened?" Her voice was scared, as if A had done something to her. Something worse than having a rat climb her body.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered through her black tears.

Spencer set her bags down and sat down next to Aria, pulling her into her body so her head was resting on her shoulder. "What did you say to him?" she asked gently.

"I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

Aria sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had no right to feel this way. She was the one that ended things with him. She couldn't expect him to wait around for the rest of his life just because she couldn't take seeing him with another woman. "He's moving on, Spence."

"What?" Her tone was matching the one someone would have if they had just learned that their kidnapper had been released from jail.

"Just take me home," Aria pleaded.

There was a moment of silence and Spencer nodded. "Yeah. Do you want to walk?" She stood up and grabbed Aria's hand to pull her petite body off the ground.

"My car's right there." She reached up and wiped the tears off her face. She had to stop being so ridiculous about this. She couldn't even let Spence see her like this. Yes, her heart was breaking, but Spencer didn't need to know anymore than she already did. She had enough problems of her own.

"I know, but you need some fresh air. We'll get it in the morning."

Aria nodded slowly, not really caring about the car. It was hard to think about the material things when the most important thing in her life was disappearing. It had taken actually watching him fade away to know that he really was the love of her life and no college guy could take that away or change it. There weren't enough frat parties in the world to keep him from crossing her thoughts every moment of every day.

They started walking away and as they did so, the bell above the door rang followed by laughing and two people talking joyously.

Aria closed her eyes, Spencer holding her tight as they slowly walked away trying not to be seen. The laughter was just too painful for her. She felt like someone had ripped her heart out, thrown it on the ground, and stomped on it, all the while laughing in her face. It was even worse when she realized that it was herself that was doing the stomping.

A simple 'bye' was exchanged between the two behind them and Aria finally thought they were in the clear. A car door slammed. An engine started. It roared, and then got quieter. Now, Ezra was going to go back inside, finish cleaning up, and then head back to his apartment for a long night's rest. He would sleep soundly, snoring occasionally. Aria wondered if he still reached for her in the middle of the night. Or if there was ever anyone else that he reached for. That thought in itself was enough to make her want to hurl. She couldn't take it. Not one second of thinking of Ezra kissing someone else and touching someone else and spending his life with someone that would never be able to love him the way Aria did.

"Thanks for the car, Ms. Montgomery," Ezra's voice called after them. "Mine was getting pretty old."

Aria cringed at the realization that she had been caught. She pulled herself out of Spencer's embrace and walked alone, trying not to be a dead giveaway that something was wrong. It was Ezra, after all. He knew her better than anyone. He would know if something was wrong just by her stepping wrong. He had memorized every detail of her, just as she had done him. "You're welcome. See you later."

"Aria." His tone was warning her to talk about what in the world was going on, but she couldn't. She couldn't even face him for she knew that the second she did, she would break down, and he would hold her and whisper that everything was going to be okay. He would tell her that she was safe and he wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt her. The problem with that was that he could protect her from everything but one thing- herself. She was her own biggest enemy at the moment. Not A or Charles or Lesli or Mona or anyone else, but Aria Montgomery.

"Ezra."

Spencer looked at her, her eyes scanning her body. "Now's the time to save yourself," Spencer whispered.

Aria shook her head. "No. You were right before. This is over."

She moved so she was standing in front of Aria, preventing the hurting woman from running away again. "Either you're with him or you're not, but you still have to talk to him." She looked past Aria, a sarcastic smile dancing on her lips. "He's not going to give you much of a choice anyway. He has your keys."

Aria frantically checked all of her pockets. She had been holding the keys when she collapsed again the wall and they fell from her hand. "Dammit!" she cursed aloud, her voice cracking harshly.

Spencer grabber her shoulders and turned her around. Ezra was standing there jingling her keys with a concerned look on his face. The only expression she had known him to wear around her. It was like he was scared that one word would set her off, and, in actuality, he was probably right. There were things that triggered memories and made her crazy, but it was also Ezra, and whenever something happened, he was there to catch her.

"Aria," he said again, this time his tone kinder and gentler than before. "Why are you running from me?"

She shook her head, trying her hardest to keep her tears at bay. It was dark outside, but not dark enough to hide her feelings from Ezra. To him, she was a sheet of glass. Transparent no matter the weather. "I'm not running from you, Ezra."

Spencer walked up and grabbed Aria's keys. "You two have a nice walk!" she called with a wave of her hand. She acted like she couldn't get away from them fast enough.

Ezra walked up to her and laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Hey, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Aria looked away for a second, shutting her eyes to keep her feelings under control. She wanted to throw herself at him, but she couldn't do so. That would make everything worse, she knew. "Everything," she whispered. "And nothing."

"What do you mean?"

She looked back at him and shook her head. "I mean I'm sorry. For everything." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"What are you talking about?"

Aria didn't dare look back at him. "I need you to be happy, so please, let me go, and stop being the only person that makes me feel safe and loved and needed. And stop treating me like I'm the only girl in the world. Stop rescuing me. Stop being there. Stop being okay with everything I put you through. Stop acting like this is okay!" She exclaimed. She didn't care that her voice depicted the tears falling freely from her red eyes. It was Ezra. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her cry and it probably wouldn't be the last.

He turned her around so they were facing each other. "Aria, where is this coming from?"

"I just realized that I can't keep expecting you to wait for me when I'm clearly pushing you away. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Ezra. As long as you find that, I'll be okay."

"Aria, breathe, Honey. I am happy. I love being the hero and making sure that you're okay. I love playing detective with you. I love pretending to be an actual detective to hack into mental facilities."

"No, you don't understand. I need you to stop it all, okay? Just stop. I love you, Ezra. I do. I always will. I will always owe you everything for putting your life on the line for me and even my brother and not to mention everything else you've done for me, but I need you to be the owner of The Brew, okay? Please. Just be that guy."

The silence between them was deafening. There was a couple on the other side of the street laughing like they had no care in the world and here Aria was crying her eyes out while trying to be strong for him. "I can't do that." His eyes were glossy from unshed tears. She had to look away just to keep herself from falling into his strong protective arms.

"Yes you can," she whispered. "Let me go."

He lay his forehead against hers. "I love you so much, Aria Montgomery."

She smiled sadly, knowing it could quite possibly be the last time she heard those words. "I love you too, Ezra Fitz. More than you'll ever know."

 **So this is just a one shot I thought of after watching the heartbreaking scene in 6x06. Let me know if you want me to make this into a story and tell me what you think please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I loved reading them. Especially the rants about how much Marlene has screwed up. It was divided, but I think you guys wanted Ezria before the time jump, so I'm going to do that, I just won't do it immediately. But, since you guys loved it so much, I have to continue.**

Aria lay in her bed curled up in a ball. She was second-guessing everything she had ever thought. She had sacrificed her own happiness for Ezra's, but it had been a week and Emily said he still sat in the back of The Brew every day off in his own little land. Eventually he'd move on. He'd have to, right? Maybe he'd be lucky enough to find someone great that could make him smile again, just as Aria used to be able to. Maybe she'd be that lucky to find someone else she could confide in the way she could with Ezra. Hopefully. Maybe that was just dreaming because she knew there'd never be another Ezra. Not someone that could comfort her or make her feel as loved as he did, but now she had to move past that.

"How about shopping?" Hanna asked, barging into the room. "I need to do some shopping. Caleb's on top of me again. He thinks that because we had sex, we're this lovey-dovey couple again. God, I hadn't had sex in over a month. Can't a girl just want some fun?" She started going through Aria's closet, looking for something new and not so over-the-top Aria.

Aria laughed at the blonde, feeling the warmth flood her cold, exhausted, body. It was probably the first time she had laughed since before the dollhouse. "Han, you two _are_ the lovey-dovey couple. He just loves you. Stop shooting him down."

She turned around, an arched eyebrow aimed at Aria. "Well, you're one to talk about shooting people down. I'm sorry, does Ezra loving you and doing nothing but trying to be there for you while you yelled at him, ring a bell?"

She sighed. She definitely deserved that one, she knew. She was the worst one to be giving relationship advice considering where she stood in the romantic department. Her scoreboard currently sat at- one ex-boyfriend/ex-best friend/ex-confidant, two broken hearts, and one creepy photographer that won't take no for an answer. Not exactly the rep to have when you want to preach about relationships. Still, she'd hate to see something happen to Hanna and Caleb. They were so adorable together and they understood each other. She'd never seen Hanna as happy as when she was with Caleb. If something happened to them, Aria was just going to have to give up hope in relationships.

"Okay, shopping," Aria agreed. "I need some time to not think. I've been doing too much of that. And every time I go to the photo studio, Clark pops up." Sure, the guy saved her life and she was grateful for that, but he drove her crazy. They could be good friends if he kept it at a friend's level and stopped trying to ask her out.

"Maybe dating is just what you need to get your mind off losing Ezra," Hanna suggested.

Aria stuffed her things into her purse, forcing a smile. "I will date someone when I find someone I want to date," she reasoned. She switched off her light and took a deep breath, leading the way out of her childhood home. She really didn't know if that were true because she would always look at a guy and find their flaws. She compared every tiny detail to Ezra. "Remember what happened last time I tried dating?" Andrew was another reason she didn't want to date. He was creepy in more ways than one. He might not have been Charles, but there was something very off about him. She didn't even care about him at all. He was just a rebound type thing. She wanted to make herself believe that she _could_ move on and be with someone else. All her life, she had been independent and self-sufficient, and then Ezra came along and ruined all of that. A might've helped him, but still. She depended on Ezra for everything, and it was so hard to find that person she used to be, because the truth was, she wasn't that person and she'd never be that person again. She had changed since high school started. Some of it she was proud of, and some she wasn't, but she was still a different person. Dating her high school English teacher was part of that identity and it was hard to shake. She loved him. She always would. She just had to hope that it wasn't her identity forever and she could find her independence again.

"Okay, fine, but there are still some good guys out there that aren't creeps."

"Not in Rosewood."

Hanna started up her car and switched through the radio stations until she found one she liked. "You dated our stalker! How in the world is someone like Andrew or anyone else worse than that?"

That was something Aria wished she could erase from her memory. She still didn't understand how she could love him so immensely after he used her for two years. Maybe it was because deep down, she knew he was telling the truth when he said that he stopped the book when he realized that he was falling for her. And when he said that he started it again after they broke up just so he could finally catch this creep. His intentions may have been deceitful when they met, but they ended with the best intentions. That was why she loved him despite his flaws.

"Can you please stop bringing that up? He saved us from the dollhouse. We could still be there if it wasn't for him. He's done a million things for us that we'll never be able to thank him for. Toby was part of the A team, Caleb's sketchy as hell. He got close to you so he could be a spy for Jenna. I don't think Ezra's much worse."

"You cannot call my boyfriend sketchy, okay?"

"And you can't call mine our stal…" Hanna looked over at her while she cringed at the words. He hadn't been her boyfriend in months. Why she was suddenly calling him her's was beyond her since they weren't even friends anymore. "Ezra's not our stalker," she corrected.

"I give it a week before you're eating pie and _slipping_."

Aria shook her head in disbelief at the way she said it. "You did some slipping of your own last week. Don't judge me."

They drove past The Brew and Aria hesitantly looked that way. Ezra's car wasn't out front where it was usually parked. That wasn't the only thing. The café was completely closed up. It was only 3 PM on a Saturday. It was usually busy during this time. "Hanna, did you get coffee this morning?" Aria asked her.

She shook her head. "No. Mr. Fitz took an impromptu trip up to New York and closed The Brew. The only other place was that crap fest down the road with the coffee that tastes like boob milk."

Aria laughed. She had never had their coffee, but never wanted to, courtesy of the reviews it got from her friends. They were probably just spoiled by Ezra's coffee. The lack of good coffee was the farthest thing from her mind, though. It was that Ezra had just up and left, leaving his business and everything else behind. That's what scared her. He loved his business. He wouldn't just leave it unless something was really, really wrong.

"Do you think you could call Ezra? Maybe ask him when he plans on returning. Tell him you need your coffee because without your caffeine, all your friends hate you." That wouldn't be lying. It was very true. Hanna was like the Grinch without her caffeine.

Hanna sighed. "I'm not going to be the messenger for you two. If you want to talk to him, you're going to have to do it yourself. Besides, the girls and I agreed that there would be no personal issues discussed with him. Other than Emily working for him and us getting our coffee, we're not linked to him."

"And when did you decide this?" Aria asked. She obviously hadn't been present for this meeting, because if she had, she wouldn't have agreed to it. Though she knew it was easiest, it wasn't easiest for her. She needed to make sure Ezra was okay. He didn't really have friends to lean on, other than possibly Nicole, so she didn't feel good about him being alone like that.

"When Spencer hijacked your car and called an SOS at your house." She said it as casually as someone would say that they went to the store to get some groceries.

"My house? Without me there?" Aria asked in disbelief. They all considered each other's houses their own, but Aria didn't know that went as far as to have meetings without the home occupant there.

"Well, _yeah_. Spence had your car. It just made sense."

Typical Hanna was at it again. "I think I'm going to be sick," Aria mumbled, her head falling back against the window.

"Not in my car!" she exclaimed. "Jeez, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. We won't meet at your house anymore."

Aria just looked over at her best friend and wondered how in the world she could be so smart and so dumb at the same time. Still, she stayed quiet, trying to figure out how she was ever stupid enough to tell Ezra that she wanted nothing to do with him. She had lied a lot, but never as bad as she did that night. They said their 'I love you's,' but that didn't make anything better when they ended up separating for good afterwards. She just wished she could tell him one more time or at least know how he was and where he was.

"Take me to his apartment," Aria blurted, clearly not thinking straight.

 **Tell me what you think and give me some ideas of what you think should happen at the apartment.**


	3. Chapter 3

**After seeing the 6x09 stills, I couldn't not write this.**

Aria walked into Ezra's apartment, her heart beating rapidly. She didn't know why she was there, but she was. This had always been her safe haven. The one place she could run to in the midst of danger. He'd always be there, his strong, safe, arms wide open and ready for her to run to him. It didn't matter their relationship status, this was the place she'd come.

Looking around, the small apartment seemed just the same as she'd left it. Some things never changed. Like the book collection on the shelf or the outdated comforter on the bed or the chess set that sat untouched on the table or the typewriter that Ezra never used. Everything was familiar. This apartment and Ezra were the two things she could count on never changing. They were the most consistent things in her life.

Some people may think she was crazy for cherishing an apartment as much as she cherished 3B, but those people didn't understand the memories in this room. The love shared. The tears shed. The love made. The secrets kept. Those people didn't understand what this place stood for or how much fun they could have hiding out in this place so no one would know that they were both falling for someone that the world considered disgusting. They would never understand everything that that one tiny apartment had seen. If walls could talk, she was pretty sure those would be speechless.

Aria fell down on their "sacred ground." It no longer smelled like them, but instead, just Ezra. She missed that smell, though. She missed him. She closed her eyes, memorizing the scent, praying that it wouldn't be the last time.

She had told Hanna to drop her off and not worry about waiting for her. She thought one last night in his apartment while he was away would do her good. A proper goodbye of sorts. One last night in that bed, though she knew it wouldn't be the same alone.

Still, she crawled out of bed and went to his dresser, pulling out her favorite yellow shirt of his. When she did, a white envelop fell out of the folded up material, her name printed in his neat handwriting on the front. She smiled, her fingers tracing the letters. He knew she was coming. He knew that she was going to look for that shirt. Sometimes, it scared her how well he knew her.

It took her twenty minutes to summon the courage to open it. She just sat there, curled up in nothing but Ezra's tee and her underwear, her finger tracing her name so many times, she was sure her finger would rub a tear into the thin paper.

She took a deep breath and finally read what it said, not positive that it was the smartest thing to do.

 _Aria,_

 _I figured you'd come back. You always do. Richard Bach said, 'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was meant to be, if it doesn't, it never was.' That is why I'm letting you go. Not because I want to or because I think it's what's best, but because I believe that we were meant to be, and I know you believe it too. You always come back, Aria, and I always come for you. I'll always come for you. I'll always be there for you. I need to make sure that you know that. No matter where we are or what we are, I'm always there for you._

 _I understand your need to separate yourself, and, though my heart has a very difficult time admitting it, I think it's smart. Even when we've broken up, we've always been in limbo. Not exactly establishing the boundaries of what it meant to be exes. We can never just let each other go, can we? You came back to the empty apartment to wear my shirt and cry on our bed, and I fled to New York to sit on the rooftop and reminisce of the time I came so close to dying for you right here. I would do it all over again, too. I would give up everything for you. That's what it feels like I'm doing right now. You are my everything and I'm giving you up so that you have a chance at being happy. That's all I want for you. Whether it's with me or some other lucky guy, I don't care as long as you're genuinely happy._

 _I'll be back soon so you can get your coffee and I will even hide in the back when you order, but you still won't be able to pay. I just needed to get away and think._

 _I love you forever and always,_

 _The guy that owns The Brew_

By the time she came to the end of the letter, she was crying so hard, she could barely see through her tears. Her heart was breaking all over again. She was just a senior in high school. She shouldn't have to be dealing with this. Not even the A drama, but just the boyfriend drama. Why had she been crazy enough to makeout with a strange, obviously older, guy at a pub that night?

Simple answer- fate.

* * *

The next morning, the sun was streaming through the windows and Aria was starting to stir. She didn't want to wake up. She still had an awful headache from all of the crying the night before. She had probably read that letter thirty times over before falling asleep in the middle of it. It was still lying across her chest from where it had fallen from her hands.

It took her a few minutes to register it all, her surroundings, the letter, the empty bed. Once she did, she just wanted to pull the sheet over her head and fall back into a deep slumber. Sleeping only until she could be awoken from this awful nightmare.

She flipped over on her side and pulled the blanket up around her, the black-tear stained letter falling onto the floor.

Her eyes blinked a few times, but a figure slowly came into view. She jumped at the sight of him standing there. It was like a scene from a movie. Ezra was leaning against the couch watching her with an amused smile.

Aria smiled and grabbed the pillow from beside her, holding it over her face. "Don't laugh at me," she mumbled into the pillow.

"I didn't laugh. I was just standing here wondering how long it was going to take you to join the land of the living… and laughing at how predictable you are." She laughed. She grabbed the pillow and threw it at him, but she didn't really have an aim this early in the morning, so it landed on the floor with a thud. "You know, I really don't think it's appropriate for customers to break into my house, steal my clothes, and sleep in my bed."

"That reminds me," she said, not acknowledging the 'customer' comment. "When was the last time you wore this? It smells like me. It's disgusting."

He laughed softly. "That's because you wore it every night."

"Yeah, but that was, like, forever ago. You could've worn it since then." Her eyes were still closed as she talked to him. It was after nine, but for a Saturday morning it was early. She always slept in on Saturdays and Sundays. The two of them had a schedule that they had always kept to before. She stayed on Friday and Saturday nights during the school year and they would be up most of Friday night. Not always doing things that were better left unmentioned, but sometimes just watching movies or holding each other or just talking. She loved the physical intimacy as much as anyone, but sometimes the emotional intimacy was even better. Sometimes.

"Maybe, but then it wouldn't smell like you."

Aria pushed herself up on her elbows, her expression becoming serious. He looked as sexy as ever standing there in his simple tee shirt and shorts. His hair was all ruffled up like he had run his hands threw it many times. It was his thing when he was stressed. His face had just the right amount of scruff to keep her happy. Here she was looking like a raccoon. A sad, exhausted, raccoon. "I tried being your customer. It didn't work," she pouted. "An entire week."

"What do you suggest we do?" he asked, a hopeful smile gracing his face.

"I say 'I'm sorry,' tell you that I need you and I don't want to be single in college. I say that I will always come back no matter what happens, because we were meant to be together. Then you say that you love me, you need me, we should run away together to a secret island and leave our phones behind and live happily ever after."

He laughed again, the most joyous sound she had ever heard. It was crazy how much she had missed a simple laugh. "I love you and I need you. One day, when you're a high school graduate, we'll run away together and have a nice vacation. We could leave our phones behind, but we both know you'd go crazy without it, Miss. Montgomery. And we will definitely live happily ever after."

She smiled. "I'll accept that, Mr. Fitz." They both looked at each other for a second, not knowing what to do. "I need a shower."

"You know where it is," he said, his eyes still locked on her.

Aria shook her head. "No. See, I haven't had sex since you and I and that was at least three months ago." His jaw dropped at her bold attitude and she just smiled, biting her lip in the way she knew he couldn't resist. "What can I say? I'm a horny teenager. You up for it, Old Man?"

He nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat. She was inwardly rejoicing at the effect she still had on him. God, she loved this man.

 **Thank God we'll see Ezria before the summer season ends. Review please and tell me what you think. After getting excited about the pictures, I couldn't keep the two of them apart for long. It kills me. Everyone knows that they're soulmates.**

 **Abi117, I'm definitely a big Sparia shipper. Hanna just fit in that scenario better than Spencer did.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I'm including a few of the things that happen in the show, but obviously I can't change the storyline because Ezra didn't chase after Aria on PLL. (Shocker)**

Chapter 4

Aria

Aria had spent all morning hanging around Ezra's apartment watching old movies while he was at work. She had forgotten how much she loved that place. It had been her second home. In many ways, it felt like her only home. Then, Spencer just had to call and interrupt her peaceful day alone with new A leads. The last thing she wanted to think about today was A. Everything was great until she mentioned their psycho stalker.

So, reluctantly, she had gotten dressed and headed over to The Brew where they were supposed to meet. If they had to meet anywhere, she definitely would choose their café. Rumor had it, the owner was a pretty sexy guy.

When she walked in, Ezra looked up at her, trying, and failing, to hide his smile. She also had the same look on her face. She had to keep her eyes trained on the girls to keep from breaking out into a huge smile. She wanted to keep it on the down low as much as she could at the moment. They didn't really have enough time to talk about everything this morning. They didn't really do a lot of talking at all between the time he woke her up and when he left for work. She just wanted to make sure that they were on the same page as far as what they were doing.

"What took you so long!" Spencer exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "You live down the street."

Hanna smiled up at her with a mocking expression. "Yeah, Aria. What took you so long? Did you even notice that Mr. Fitz was back?"

Aria sighed, taking a seat in the chair across from them. "What was so important?" she asked, completely dismissing their hasty comments.

Spencer sighed, taking one last look at Aria before getting down to business. "Hanna, show them the picture," she instructed.

Ezra sat a cup of coffee down in front of Aria while she tried not to look at him. "Aria, can I speak to you for a second?"

She bit her lip, looking around the table at the three girls watching her. "Hanna will catch me up a little later. Right, Han?"

She nodded. "Be safe you two."

Aria had to roll her eyes. She'd never hear the end of this from her. Emily and Spencer would both be understanding and let it go, maybe joking for a little while, but Hanna was the one that would use it as a punch line forever. She was also the one that would pick on the girls for the tiniest of things. She was fun, but she could be the most obnoxious also. She was just her own kind of person.

"Wait, is that really what you two were… eww," Emily said. "I thought you were broken? We spent a week at your house feeding you ice cream that you had sobbed into because he…"

"Emily!" Aria exclaimed. "We got it, thank you." She picked up her coffee cup and followed Ezra to the back room. Well, her plan didn't work too well, but they never do. Besides, after Ezra, those girls knew her better than anyone, and Hanna already knew that she had dropped Aria off at Ezra's apartment the night before and didn't pick her up. Ezra had ridden with Nicole to the café since he had to leave Aria his car. She wasn't thrilled about her boyfriend catching a ride with some other chick that made him laugh, but she didn't want to call the girls to pick her up. Especially not Hanna. She was afraid to be stuck in the car with her given the circumstances. Ezra already had planned to talk to Nicole anyway. She just had to stop being so jealous of any person that steps near him. She was the only one that slept in his shirt and shared early morning showers with him. No one else got to do that, and, hopefully, that's how it would be forever.

"So, Ella showed up here this morning. What did you do with your phone?"

She bit her lip, realizing that she hadn't even spoken to her mother since before she went shopping yesterday. Aria was a dead person. Ella had barely allowed her to go to school. This would end her over the edge. "I don't know. I've been a little too busy to remember my phone. How mad was she?" She remembered answering Spencer's call, but she didn't remember any other alert.

He shook his head with a smirk. "I really don't think you want to know."

Aria sighed. "What did you tell her?"

"That I came home this morning to find you in my apartment and that I'd tell you to get in touch as soon as I talked to you again. Then, she asked if you and I were together again."

"Of course she did," Aria said with a laugh. She had never seen such a huge 360 in a person. Ella went from loving Ezra to hating him, to approving both of her kids staying hours away in the middle of nowhere with him. Her dad was still hesitant, but he was nothing like the person he used to be. He no longer looked constipated whenever Ezra's name was brought up. He actually asked about him and considered him a special part of his daughter's life. Although, he was a lot more open with that when they were just platonic friends, but he had realized that Ezra would forever be a part of her life and he had to get used to it. "And you said?"

"I said that we are trying to figure out how we're going to handle things with you being in college and everything, and she got really excited like I just told her that you were making her breakfast in bed." She had to laugh at his simile. The craziest part about it was that she could totally see Ella doing that. "She said you had been flirting with Clark and she didn't trust him with you."

"How could I flirt with Clark when you're eavesdropping on my conversations?" she asked. "Your jealous side is a real turn on, Ezra."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Just go talk to your mom before she gets mad at me.

"Fine," she huffed. "But I need to take your car again. I'm going to go see her." She had left her phone at his house, probably lodged between the couch cushions or something. For such a small apartment, she found new places to lose it every day.

"Then, I guess I'll just be riding back with Nicole again tonight."

She laughed humorlessly. "Like hell you will. I'm not hijacking it. I'll be back in a little while. Besides, if I have your car, she has to let me out of the house."

"Fine, but, if she asks, I had nothing to do with your disappearance."

Aria nodded. "I love you."

He pulled her into a kiss. "I love you more."

"I know. I don't have your self portrait hanging above my desk." They both laughed at the joke. It was slips like that that made everything better when they weren't together. The times when either of them said something or did something as if they were a couple again really helped her because she knew that he still cared.

She walked over to where the girls were sitting. "I've gotta go before my mom files a police report. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Mrs. Fitz!" Hanna called after her. Everyone in the café stared at either Hanna or Aria. It was bad enough having the whole town knowing that you're sleeping with your teacher, but when your friend yells it out across a busy café, it was awful. She swore her face was on fire. Maybe she was eighteen, but she was still a highschool student and most of the people in there knew her story. Now, they were going to be thinking she married the guy the second she was legal.

"Bye, Mrs. Rivers!" she shot back with a roll of her eyes. She looked over at Ezra for a split second. He was covering his red face in his hands, shaking his head. It wasn't long before everyone went back to talking and carrying on with their own business, but that didn't help Aria much. She hated that they couldn't just be a normal couple. No one would've thought anything of it if the roles had been reversed and Aria was the one shouting at Hanna in the café. Yeah, she would've gotten looks like she was crazy, but she wouldn't be the one receiving looks from people that might as well have been shouting 'slut.' It might always be that way with some people. It wouldn't matter how old they were or how long they were together, people would still look at them and remember their past _on top of_ everyone remembering Aria as the poor girl that got trapped in an underground dollhouse and was tortured by some crazy psycho for years.

"I really have to get out of this town," Aria said to herself. Between Ezra and escaping, she didn't have time to think of much else. She just had to get out somehow. She didn't know what she was going to do about Ezra or her family or her friends, but she couldn't stay here. She'd figure relationships out as soon as she figured out college.

She pushed the door open without one look back. She didn't want to know what Ezra was thinking.

 **Reviews and suggestions are appreciated. Next chapter is going to be Aria and Ella just because I love the two of them together.**


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